Annaleigh Jane's Domain...

Adam and I were blessed today by baby shower #2, thrown by my darling friends at Emory Law. I, being my usual slacker self, failed to take any pictures, but hopefully some will be coming my way soon. Either way, unpacking all the beautiful gifts we received into the nursery made me realize that it is high time I post some pictures of the progress we've made in there. It's certainly not done, but it's getting close. This big guy is the literally GIANT panda bear from Aunt Ellie and Uncle Dave saving Annaleigh's place in her crib. We were at Zoo Atlanta admiring the baby pandas chow down on some yummy green bamboo the day we found out I was pregnant, so the nursery is black, white, and green as a special way for us to remember when we found out our baby bear was coming! Adam's parents bought us this beautiful cherry crib as our first baby gift. It was the exact one I wanted and will convert to a toddler bed and then full bed as our little one grows up. Here I am at 30 weeks and counting!

Another project I'm tremendously proud of is our changing table/dresser, which I found for a whopping $65 on craiglist, though it retailed for over $500 at BabiesrUs just a year ago. Originally it was dingy and white. With some help from my darling husband, we we able to paint it this fabulous leafy green color, add new iron hardware, and line the drawers with black and white drawer liner. I just recently added the bows to the draw pulls with some ribbon left over from baby shower #1 (thanks Aunt Emily!). For $40 worth of materials, I think it looks pretty Anthrolicious, don't you? As you can see, the drawers and shelves are quickly filling with the gifts that all of our dear friends have been blessing us with. Our little girl is going to end up having more clothes and shoes than her momma if our friends have anything to do with it!

Since our nursery will also function as a guest room when we have out of town visitors, we've kept the double bed in it. My friend Sarah helped me create a more "grown-up" friendly side of the room using some accessories I'd spent the summer acquiring. The print on the shelves above the bed is one we purchased from a street vendor in Rome when we were in Italy for Emily and Nick's wedding last May. It's of the Trevi Fountain. where Adam wished for a baby girl. To the left of the bed will go the antique rocker my mother used with me and my brother, which she is lovingly refinishing for us in addition to making custom bedding for the crib. (She is amazing, I know). Until the rocker is done, Annaleigh's stuffed animals (gifts from too many special people to list) are marking the spot. The bookshelves to the right of the bed are leftover from college, but I sprayed them white and Sarah helped me arrange some special photos and bins to hold books and toys. I think they looks really sweet without screaming to our guests "a baby lives here"!

My goal was to create a space that would be soothing a tranquil for guests, but still fun for baby. I knew for sure that I didn't want a nursery that was anything you'd

traditionally think of for a baby girl- nothing pink, so baby animals parading across the walls. Adam lovingly painted the walls a very soft grey that has just a slight lavender undertone, and I've accented the black, white, and green with a few touches of plum (throw on the bed, a couple accessories, etc...) All in all, I'm really pleased and can't wait for our little girl to arrive and check it out!